The invention relates to a device for feeding lengths of wire to a procesing machine, by means of a separating member acting as a holder separator means for releasing individual wire lengths from a bundle, e.g., a threaded spindle or disc with peripheral grooves cooperating with a stripper member. It is particularly intended to use the device according to the invention for feeding transverse lengths of wire to a lattice welding machine.
From OE-PS No. 189 890 it is known to separate individual wires from bundles of wires and to pass the separate wired on to a processing machine in an orderly manner by picking up the wires at the outer circumference of the loose bundle at a relatively small zone compared to the wire length by means of for example a threaded spindle or disc with peripheral grooves and a separating member cooperating with a stripper and by rotating the spindle or disc at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the wires to separate the wires first of all in the area of the said zone and then to gradually and progressively pull out the wires from the bundle and to completely separate the wires from the bundle.
In the practical application of such devices it is desirable to reduce the operating and attendance time to a minimum, which necessitates in particular that the device be supplied at relatively long time intervals. This necessarily requires that the device be able to handle large quantities of wire at a time. This however results in the danger, particularly with long wires, that the wires in the large bundles deviate considerably from the relative parallel position so that a wire grasped by the separating member cannot be pulled out of the wire bundle without receiving substantial deformation as a result of having been jammed together with the other wires.
The invention deals with the problem of solving this disadvantage and to provide a device of the type referred to at the beginning, on the one hand for directly feeding to it large bundles of wire lengths and on the other hand for enabling it to work the separated wires without interruption and without unacceptable deformations. This object is achieved according to the invention in that the separating member has provided in front of it an endless belt with paddle devices extending away from it to form a rotating endless row of paddles. In an area of upwardly moving paddles in conjunction with slide paths sloping downwards toward the row of paddles there is formed a trough for holding the bundles of wire lengths. The compartment formed between each pair of adjacent paddles of the row of paddles acts as a wire retaining compartment having a storage capacity substantially smaller than the storage capacity of the trough. Directly in front of the separating member there is provided an intermediate storage chamber which has the same storage capacity as that of a compartment of the row of paddles and which receives wires from the compartments.
In the device according to the invention the paddle chain therefore picks up from the trough pre-measured smaller quantities of wires, filling each time a compartment on the paddle chain. These smaller quantities of wire lengths are fed to an intermediate store, in front of the separating member, whose capacity corresponds only to that of a compartment of the paddle chain. From the relatively small wire bundle in the intermediate storage chamber it is then possible by means of the separating member to pick out separate wire lengths safely and without danger of deformation.
In the intermediate storage chamber there is preferably provided a sensor for sensing the presence of a predetermined minimum quantity of wire lengths and which in the absence of this minimum quantity through a control device actuates means for advancing the paddle chain forward one step.
Advantageously along a part of the upwardly moving path of the row of paddles there are provided fixed but preferably adjustable limiter plates which limit the depth of the compartments of the row of paddles. This ensures that after "filling to the brim" of the compartments, by sliding the wires off the limiter plates above the wire bundle, by adjusting the plate a selected part of each compartment remains empty, thereby permitting safe further conveyance of the wire lengths. This aim may be further advanced in that in the area of the upper end of the limiter plates above the path of travel of the paddles there is provided a stripper member. It is then impossible to get a jam between the wires in the various compartments and the wires are further transported in essentially parallel alignment with each other.
According to a further feature of the invention on one side of the row of paddles there is provided a rigid abutment surface for one of the wire ends and on the opposite side there is provided a movable abutment surface for the other wire ends, e.g., in the form of a pivotable flap. By operating the movable abutment surface or the movable flap, which preferably takes place in synchronism with the movement of the row of paddles, it is possible to bring the ends of the wires into a relatively compact position.
According to a still further feature of the invention in the area of the revolving path of the row of paddles opposite the trough there are provided guide panels which form downwardly sloping slide paths extending from the revolving path of the compartments of the row of paddles to the intermediate storage chamber. This has the effect that the wires are fed in an essentially orderly manner and in parallel alignment from the compartments into the intermediate storage chamber.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the row of paddles has the form of a paddle chain with interlinked L-shaped chain links; such a paddle chain enables a good adjustment of the path of revolution to the desired working conditions of the device.
Further features of the invention will become obvious from the following description and drawings of an example of an embodiment of the invention.